Hollywood South Looks West Bank, That Is

Hollywood South looks West … Bank, that is

Businesses are promoting themselves as more scenes are shot on the West Bank

POSTED: 10:11 AM Thursday, May 27, 2010 BY: Richard A. Webster, Staff Writer

If Louisiana is Hollywood South and New Orleans is its capital, then Algiers Point is the crown jewel. At least that’s how Christopher Kane, president of the Algiers Economic Development Foundation, sees it.

Since the beginning of the year, 13 major productions each with budgets exceeding $300,000 have been shot in New Orleans, and six have used Algiers locations.

That’s a high percentage, Kane said.

“They like filming here because it can stand in for Uptown or any other part of the city. But unlike the Garden District, we don’t have the hustle and bustle, noise and traffic that can get in the way,” Kane said.

Some New Orleans neighborhoods aren’t crazy about the film industry because it brings trucks, bright lights and late-night noise, Kane said. Algiers, on the other hand, has welcomed the industry with open arms.

The increased film activity brings with it opportunities for the Algiers business community. To ensure they take advantage of those opportunities, Kane invited Jennifer Day, director of the New Orleans Office of Film and Video, to speak at the Algiers Economic Development Foundation’s luncheon May 19.

“We had the largest attendance for the luncheon in two years, which told me that our business community is interested in this but they don’t know how to get involved,” Kane said. “They’re filming here, but there’s a segment of our business community going untapped. Services needed by film productions are being met by folks not in New Orleans. It seems to make more sense if they’re shooting here to use a caterer down the street versus one in Harahan.”

Algiers is the first community in the New Orleans area to create a committee to specifically look for ways to educate its business community about movie productions and how they can become more involved, Day said.

“They need to do their homework, know what’s in town and be very diligent,” Day said. “They need to network, figure out if they know people in industry and get word out that they’re interested in being a vendor.”

Kane wants Algiers businesses to become involved not just as on-screen locations but behind the scenes providing catering services, props, equipment and anything else required to shoot a movie.

“For instance, productions need office space for six months close to their base location. New Orleans lacks temporary office space, but we have plenty,” Kane said. “Right now we’re talking with developers and investors with underutilized or blighted property in Algiers that they may convert to office space.”

The Old Point Bar has been used as a film location for various productions, including “Ray,” “Green Lantern” and “Treme.” As a result, it has become a popular destination for sightseeing film buffs, and Kane wants to extend that appeal throughout the neighborhood. He plans to create maps with stars on locations where films were shot in hopes of attracting tourists to Algiers.

“We need to make sure this industry thrives,” Kane said. “You might grow a great crop. But if no one is focused on nourishing it, nothing much will happen. We want to make sure we take advantage across the board and involve all our community.”•